The Telluride Project

[MAC FAB]

Build a cage and make the body. Use 3/16 rod and weld or braze it together. You don’t have to triangulate the heck out of it, a trail rig, right? Won’t be too heavy that way, then make a body. Built not bought. It appears that DB 8 cages and Bomber cages are turning into unicorns, ~$60 gets you a metal cage off flea bay, Bomber and Wraith knock-offs, that with a little creativity, would be a fun rig. Look up DMG’s b2b Bomber. A Slash 4x based Bomber/Wraith could easily be done using that concept. Go outside the box!!! "thumbsup"

 

[MaX-D]

Slash 4x4 cage

https://www.vgracing.com/product/Slash_4x4_Roll_Cage.html

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[ferp420]

ive got a wraith cage mounted on a redcat blackout fits good the wheel base worked out ok for shortcourse wheels and tires i call it the red wraither lol
the slash has a longer wheelbase so you could use bigger tires a yeti cage would work good too they are all getting harder to find though

 

[OSRC]

Not much to update... got everything over to the Slash chassis and mocked up. I've got some stuff ordered, but I've run out of funds so it might be a while until this sees some love. I do have tires and a body of sorts coming, so it'll at least get on the rubber and we'll see after that.

I like the idea of a cage, and definitely thought about it. Test fit my Exo and Yeti cages - not bad. Yeti especially looked promising, thought it would need some serious trimming. Looking for something lighter for now to get started. We'll see how it evolves.

I've never gotten a used roller that was so stiff. Everything was stuck, not sure of the PO dipped it in a vat of CA glue or what. Driveline was super stiff, and the suspension was so stuck I could pick up the chassis by one axle and get no flex at all, even without shocks. Never seen anything like it. I cleaned everything up, reamed the holes for the hingepins, and went turnbuckle by turnbuckle and got the surface rust off and freed up the pivot balls. Driveline was fine after a deep clean and soaking the bearings in some oil. They weren't gritty, just stiff. Everything moves nice and smooth now.

My workbench looks like a Traxxas hurricane hit it. I've got more than enough parts for a 4th vehicle if I ever want to.

Chassis as it sits. Basically the same setup as the Crawler telly, just longer and wider, and with a bigger outrunner. I had planned to use some big 2.2's, but I needed so much offset up front they were in the next zip code compared to the steering kingpins... that's never good for steering or durability, so I took the tires off the 2.2/3.0's I used before and got them mounted up. Plus, I love the look! Just waiting on some taller tires which are en-route. I totally forgot to dye the chassis black, I got in the zone and started building. I have to tear it back down and get busy dying.

 

[MaX-D]

UPS made a stop - on time as always! I'm like one of Pavlov's dogs...I hear the UPS truck idling out front, and I start drooling.

Anyway, some goodies showed up the the Traxxas Twins (Not to be confused with the Thompson Twins for all you 80's fans out there) I had a MicroX/Revolver combo in my Capra that I have since sold...I ordered a Copperhead ESC and Revolver Stubby to split the pair. The lightweight MicroX and Stubby are going in the Crawler Telly as it's probably the lightest combo I can put together. The Copperhead will pair up with the Revolver and get installed into something, no idea what yet. A 3:1 reduction arrived as well..

and just like that, all mounted up and ready to go. I had to trim just 1mm off the motor pinion shaft to use the GRU, not nearly as much as I thought.

The Trail Telly got some SSD brass wheel rings for a nice 200g weight boost up front.

Both were charged up and ready to roll Sunday morning.

First the Crawler: I've removed the OD, lowered it a bit, cut the tires, and installed an Outrunner. It's back in business! And Damn, it's loud. I know outrunners are loud, but this one seems especially vocal. Yikes. In any case, it's back to crawling like a champ. Cutting the tires made a world of difference in grip, but I think there's still more to be had. I went everywhere I wanted to go except the 1 hard climb... it's now my goal to get this rig up that one line. I'll be experimenting a bit with pinions, weight, and tires - I think it's doable. it's right there, balance is good just needs a bit more grip to get up the rock. Think I'm almost done with this one, not sure what else other than fine tuning I can do with it.

The star of the trip was the Trail Telly. Putting that weight up front in the tires apparently makes a lot of difference since this rig killed it out there. It still has an semi open rear diff, but it didn't matter - this truck went everywhere today. It did everything the Crawler did no sweat (it also failed the hard line test, but it gave it hell.) I'm sure the PL Predator tires had something to do with it, they were like suction cups on the rocks compared to the Duratrax tires I have on the crawler.

Cleared this gap, don't ask me how. More luck than skill!

I forgot about the servo saver and basher servo so the front wheels were a bit floppy.. the servo is pointing straight here. I drove around it, but I'll need to tighten this up.

The Mini motor and GRU combo did not have nearly the torque the outrunner had, but did fine for trail running and was smooth enough down low that I could finesse me way up and around some impressive climbs.

It started making gear clicking noises and lost drive, so I stopped to investigate... Pretty sure I blew up the GRU. So I did the walk of shame, drove home, unloaded, tore it down and found the pinion was just loose. I feel like a idiot, lol. First thing I should have checked, I should know better. Oh well. I got 1.5 batteries through it, enough to know what to change.

Came home and ordered a new steering rack, did some shock oil changes (from 50w down to 30wt, it was pretty stiff out there) and dropped down to a 9t pinion...and that's pretty much it.

How did you attach the body to the chassis?

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[OSRC]

Velcro on the sides. Body just fits over the 'pede chassis, worked out perfect.

 

[MaX-D]

Thanks, I think it's coming along way better than I had hoped! Bottom edge? of the body?



Got the electronics sorted out... I made a foam cradle to hold my 3S packs and keep them towards the front of the chassis. Modified the radio box to hold the ESC instead as I wanted it up front for weight balance. Also I snuck in a few lead bits under the ESC tray adding about .75g...not much, but every bit helps. Just trying to get as much weight forward as I can to offset the motor being out back.

Holmes Crawlmaster is my go to motor, no exception here! I've got it paired with a 3:1 reduction and a 20t pinion for a gear ratio of 35.43:1 - not as low as I would like, but it's in the ballpark for a trail rig...the stock truck came with a 19:1 ratio, so that's a decent improvement. The motor is sitting on the chassis, I'd have to clearance a bit to go any lower, I'll wait and see how it does before modding any more. It still has the plastic center shaft though, I forgot to order the aluminum one. It's on the list! I'm waiting on a gear cover, it's the only piece missing from the chassis and then its test drive time!

What made you decide on the 16T motor?

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[OSRC]

It was a rigorous selection process....no, not really. I had it here on the bench.

 

[MaX-D]

It was a rigorous selection process....no, not really. I had it here on the bench.

[emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji869]

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[SpareParts]

Great write up and testing, I love your projects OSRC! I'm interested to see what sct tires you decide on. I am working on making a trail truck out of an old Traxxas Nitro Slayer (converted to electric) and wheels/tires are tricky. I need to use sct wheels to clear the bearing carriers but most sct tires are too short. I have a set of proline BFG KO2s that are bigger than normal sct tires but they are a very hard compound and not quite as big as I would like.

 

[OSRC]

Thanks, it's been a fun way to keep busy over the winter. Those K02's did pretty well on the rocks, they really surprised me. I thought they were too hard too, but they somehow found grip.

I just got the Hyrax U4 tires for the Slash build. Much, much taller, 5.75". Might be too big but I didn't find much inbetween. They are predator compound so they should have plenty of stick - I didn't get them mounted yet but I did take them out of the package and fondle them a bit and they certainly feel sticky enough. Just concerned about foams, usually the stock ones are super soft and it's an odd size for crawler foams. I'm thinking of modding a set of 2.2 CI's to clear the wheels.

Slayer conversion! Very nice! I did an E-revo with slayer arms a few years back and it was way cool. UDR tires might be a good fit, I was looking into them. JConcepts landmines are 5.2" tall, you just have to use UDR wheels which are 2.2/3.2 for some damn reason. Wish we could just pick a flippin size and stick with it. Some are 12mm and some are 17mm hex - might be worth looking into.

 

[MSB]

JConcepts landmines are 5.2" tall, you just have to use UDR wheels which are 2.2/3.2 for some damn reason. Wish we could just pick a flippin size and stick with it. Some are 12mm and some are 17mm hex - might be worth looking into.

UDR wheels are 2.2/3.0 just like short course. They are hard as heck though, so unless your rig is super heavy, be prepared to have to soften them up.

 

[SpareParts]

Those Hyrax U4s should definitely stick! They've got Hyrax's for the UDR that I think are a more reasonable size but again it is that oddball 2.2/3.2 wheel size. I am very interested in the Landmines for the Mojave (same as the UDR set, but with a normal 17mm hex) but I am trying to stick to a 12mm hex so I can swap the tires between multiple trucks easier. It looks like the Jconcepts wheels have replaceable hex adapters like the Proline Raid wheels, but I don't see that they sell other offsets and sizes. What I really need to do is paint the body so I can see what the tires look like with it complete!

On my Slash 4x4 I tried a few options to get it to look like a desert racer and I am currently happy with the K02s and the Jconcepts Bajr body. I think the best sized tire I found so far is the stock tire off the Associated Nomad. They are about 5.25" tall x 2" wide and they fit a sct 2.2/3.0 wheel. They are a fairly soft rubber that is fine for both trailing and going fast. I would recommend getting them unmounted as the stock foams are terrible and break down very quickly. But then again I am not sure what foams would even be a good replacement as they are a giant sct tire. I currently have the nomad tires on the Slayer and on my Rock Rey.

 

[OSRC]

Mini update... the Slash build is coming along slowly. Had to wait for some funds, but parts are dribbling in.

Picked up the Proline U4 2.2/3.0 tires in Predator flavor, and they are pretty nice and sticky. Should crawl very well! They come with PL's standard 2.2 foams for some reason and had zero chance of fitting over the wheels.. I opened them up with an Xacto just to get them mounted. They are a bit uneven though, and the tires came out a bit lumpy. Not sure if they'll wear in or what. Kinda pissed, for $40 a set, the foams should at least fit the intended wheels. I do like the size, I wanted a bigger platform then the Telluride/Pede chassis, and I think I got it.

Used some old Wraith shocks filled with 50wt oil and the dual stage pistons. I needed something just a bit bigger than the 90mm GTS shocks I started with. Not the greatest shock, but they'll do for now.

Compared to the trail telly...

A note on the RC4WD wheels - they look great from a distance, but they have some sharp edges where the holes are drilled in. I get better finish on cheap chicom wheels. Par for the course with RC4WD I guess.

Looking at the side view, the ESC motor and servo are just above the wheel centerline at ride height, and the front shocks towers on both ends don't even get above the tires. Should have a great COG!

My body order got cancelled - was out of stock, so I'm on the plan B. Just waiting on UPS!

 

[MaX-D]

How's the Slash project going? Any updates?

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[Ross413]

Still excited to see the progression of the Telly to the Slash now.

Any hints for the body...?

 

[OSRC]

Sorry fellas, not much to report. Build season is coming to a close, I coach my daughter's softball team and assist with my other daughter's so I've been busy getting things going. Trying to corral 13 10 year olds is sometimes like herding cats. So much fun though!

I did make a little progress...installed a Tekno shaft, the stock one had a slight wobble to it. Seemed to work fine, but it annoyed me to no end. I tried to install a slipper eliminator, but it only works with the 48p gear, not the 32p one so I left it off for now.

and the body.... I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. It's a lightweight 1/8 jconcepts body, found it on clearance. It's perfectly functional - light, low, hugs the chassis.... I just am not quite sold on the looks. I had planned for a Slash 4x4 overtray, and I was going to graft in the old Telly body on top but the overtray is apparently long out of production. So this was plan B. Not worse than a comp body I guess, it's just....weird. I do plan to convert this to a buggy later once I come to my senses, so that eventual base is covered (softball pun intended!) Letting it percolate for a while and see what bubbles up.

I do get a ton of body rub up front, not sure what I want to do there yet. These tires are huge! I will say the steering angle you can get out of this platform is pretty good. Some of my older solid axle trucks don't turn as much.

 

[MaX-D]

What are you doing about the negative rear toe. I know there is -2.5 toe in built in to the bulkhead. The stock plastic bearing carriers are 0° toe. Are you going to leave it at -2.5?

Did the negative toe affect the Telly in a positive or negative manner?

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[OSRC]

The Trail Telly is using bandit arms which have built in toe, I flipped them to offset the built in toe at the bulkhead...it's just slightly positive, has no odd effects that I've noticed. (positive tow points in at the front, I think you've got it backwards)

Dunno, toe in isn't an option with solid axle trucks, it's uncharted territory! I'm sure rear toe has some effect, I've tried a bit of negative in the rear of the C-Maxx since it's adjustable on the fly thinking it would help it turn better, but not really sure it made any difference with turning. It did seem a little less stable when climbing though, and I took it back to slight toe in on the trail and it seemed better. So I think rear toe has pretty much the same effect as on a higher speed vehicle - a bit of positive is a good thing for stability. Just a guess though.

I haven't done anything with the Slash yet, there are a few rear hubs with some tow built in that can be mounted on the opposite side to mitigate it (see the first page of this thread, I think 350TacoZilla posted a pic or two) I just haven't picked up a set yet. Definitely needs to be done, it's got way too much.

 

[OSRC]

So while I was percolating on the Slash, a bunch of HPI parts fell out of the sky and this happened...

Not sure if I want to move forward or not. This would be next level IS crawler compared to the Slash. Hmm....